Spring Roll Salad

This Spring Roll Salad gives you everything you love about a fresh Vietnamese spring roll without any of the wrapping or rolling. It is loaded with juicy shrimp, chewy vermicelli noodles, crunchy vegetables, fresh cilantro, and tossed in a bold creamy peanut dressing that ties everything together perfectly.

This easy recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and is light, fresh, and satisfying all at once. It is the perfect summer dinner or meal prep lunch that you will want to make on repeat! Looking for another easy shrimp recipe? Try these sweet and sour shrimp lettuce wraps.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Versatile dish. This spring roll salad is really tasty with shrimp but if you are not a fan of shrimp or simply want to switch it up, give it a try with chicken, tofu, or edamame.
• Easy to make gluten free. Since vermicelli noodles are made of rice, this salad is naturally gluten free except for the soy sauce. To make it completely gluten free, just swap soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.
• Great for making ahead. This is really easy to make ahead of time and enjoy throughout the week. Just store everything separately and hold off adding the dressing so the noodles don’t get soggy!

For another flavorful meal with a creamy peanut sauce, try these tofu peanut noodles.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make this delicious spring roll salad. For a full list of ingredients, see the full recipe.

• Dry vermicelli noodles – Vermicelli are thin rice noodles that are the classic base for spring roll salads. They are light and chewy and soak up the peanut dressing beautifully. Look for them in the Asian foods aisle at most grocery stores.
• Medium shrimp – Peeled, deveined, and tail-removed shrimp are used here for easy eating. Frozen shrimp work great and are very convenient. Just thaw them by running under cold water before cooking. Pat them dry before cooking so they sear instead of steam.
• Red bell pepper – Diced red bell pepper adds a sweet crunch and a pop of bright color to the salad. Any color bell pepper will work but red is the sweetest and most visually vibrant.
• Cucumber – Diced cucumber adds a cool, refreshing crunch that balances out the rich peanut dressing. Persian or English cucumbers work best because they have fewer seeds and a thinner skin.
• Shredded carrot – Shredded carrot adds natural sweetness, color, and a satisfying crunch. You can buy pre-shredded carrot from the store to save time.
• Shredded red cabbage – Red cabbage adds a beautiful purple color and a firm, crunchy texture that holds up well in the dressing. Green cabbage works as a substitute.
• Green onion – Thinly sliced green onion adds a mild, fresh onion flavor without overpowering the other ingredients.
• Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds brightness and that classic Vietnamese-inspired flavor. If you do not like cilantro, fresh mint or Thai basil are great substitutes.
• Peanut butter – Creamy peanut butter is the base of the dressing. Use a conventional creamy peanut butter for the smoothest texture. Natural peanut butter can be used but the dressing may be thicker and require more water to thin it out.
• Soy sauce – Soy sauce adds the salty, savory depth that balances out the sweetness and creaminess of the peanut butter. Use low sodium soy sauce if preferred.
• Lime juice – Fresh lime juice adds a bright citrusy zing that lightens the dressing and gives it that authentic Thai and Vietnamese-inspired flavor.
• Brown Sugar – This adds sweetness that balances out the salty soy sauce and tangy lime.
• Sriracha– A small amount adds a nice little kick. Omit if you don’t like spice or increase if you want more.

Looking for another meal to make with shrimp? Try this coconut shrimp curry recipe.

How to make A Spring Roll Salad

Step 1: Cook vermicelli noodles. Remove from pot and rinse under cold water* until completely cooled. Set aside to drain colander.

Step 2: Steam shrimp in a steamer basket. Set aside and allow to cool before roughly chopping into bite sized pieces.

Step 3: Roughly chop noodles so they are in about 2 inch long pieces and place noodles in a mixing bowl along with the chopped shrimp, bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, green onion and cilantro. 

Step 4: Whisk together lime juice, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sriracha. Slowly mix in 1 tbsp of water at a time until the sauce is a thin, pourable consistency** (I used 2 tbsp water). Pour sauce into bowl.

Step 5: Add the peanuts to the top of the salad and serve at room temperature or place in the fridge for a couple hours to serve chilled.

*NOTE: After cooking the vermicelli noodles they should be rinsed under cold water right away to stop the cooking and prevent them from sticking together. Do not let them sit without rinsing or they will clump into a solid mass.

**NOTE: Peanut butter dressings can be thick and vary in consistency depending on the brand of peanut butter used. If the dressing is too thick to pour, add water one tablespoon at a time and whisk until it reaches a smooth and pourable consistency.

Recipe fAQs

Storage

This spring roll salad will be good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Toss to refresh before serving.